Many injured in lone gunman rampage before he is shot dead by Kentucky police
One of the shootings took place at Richmond Road Baptist Church, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed.
Governor Beshear said: 'Kentucky, we are aware of a series of incidents in Lexington around one suspect, including a trooper-involved shooting and an additional shooting at Richmond Road Baptist Church with multiple injuries.
'The trooper and others are being treated at a nearby hospital.'
He added: 'Please pray for everyone affected by these senseless acts of violence, and let's give thanks for the swift response by the Lexington Police Department and Kentucky State Police.
'Details are still emerging, and we will share more information as available.'
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MORE: Maga faithful warn Trump 'we won't fall in line' over Epstein investigation
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New Statesman
3 hours ago
- New Statesman
Donald Trump can't escape Jeffrey Epstein
Photo byOne of the biggest risks for the survival of any cult is when the leader starts making promises he can't keep. Doomsday prophets can get a few predictions wrong, but there are only so many times one can delay the apocalypse, reschedule the messiah's second coming, or postpone the spaceship before suspicions rise and sceptics start to leave. In the best-case scenarios, loyalty to the leader dissolves before his (and it's almost always his) familiar unravelling occurs – because then cults seem to inevitably devolve into drugs and child brides and weapon stockpiles and mass suicides. For those who want to see cult followers break free, it helps to nurture any seeds of doubt rather than jump to admonishment about how they should have known better. We should keep these lessons in mind as some Maga loyalists are now wondering why Donald Trump hasn't released the long-promised Jeffrey Epstein files. Trump has for years now promised to drain the swamp, and stoked suspicions about powerful and shadowy figures conspiring against the American people and their could-be saviour, Donald Trump. For reasons I will not pretend to understand, sex-trafficked children are core to Maga conspiracy theories, including QAnon. And so when Jeffrey Epstein, who had connections to some of the world's most powerful men and was accused of sex trafficking underage girls, died in prison in 2019 under odd circumstances in what investigators said was a suicide, well – it's not hard to see why the case was absolute conspiracy-bait. Trump and many high-profile members of his administration were happy to take advantage of their followers' fears by telling them that the Epstein case was an epic coverup, probably protecting various high-profile Democrats. They promised to dedicate significant resources to the Epstein case files, and to finally reveal the truth. A list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients, attorney general Pam Bondi said not so long ago, is 'sitting on my desk right now to review'. Before he was Trump's FBI director, Kash Patel told conservative radio host Glenn Beck that Epstein's 'black book' was 'under direct control of the director of the FBI'. But just a few days ago Bondi's Department of Justice and Patel's FBI released a statement saying that, in fact, there was no client list or black book, that they wouldn't be releasing much else about Epstein, and that everyone should move along. Given that Maga followers have repeatedly done whatever Trump asked and have denied obvious wrongdoing happening before their eyes, one can't really blame the administration for assuming they could guide their flock away from this potential quagmire as well. They were spectacularly wrong. This administration lies all the time; its members lie so often that it's hard for fact-checkers to keep up. Many people outside of the Maga-verse remain confused about how such a blatantly dishonest group of painfully unqualified people have not only weaselled their way into power, but enjoy the obsessive devotion of millions of Americans who are convinced that Trump and his lackeys are the answer to sleaze and corruption in Washington, not the ones taking both to new heights. The truth is that Maga devotees exist largely in the closed information universes of Fox News, One America News Network, Newsmax, right-wing podcasts, and their own tightly tailored social media algorithms, all of which hammer home the point that the mainstream media is one of many deadly enemies – and that enemies will lie in order to vilify Trump. But these same outlets have also spent years frothing over the admittedly extremely fishy Epstein case. They have turned the Epstein story into ground zero of conspiracy theories about a global cabal of paedophiles that extends from the British royal family to DC pizza parlours, and positioned Trump as the hero who would finally liberate the trafficked children, expose their abusers, and save the republic from the depraved elite. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Much of this is very obviously nuts. But some of the Epstein-specific questions do seem legitimate. How did Epstein amass such wealth and influence? How was he able to commit suicide despite being not only on suicide watch, but one of the most famous inmates on the planet? The Department of Justice released prison surveillance footage of the night Epstein died but it has only raised more questions. How is it that not only was no one apparently watching him, but the relevant security cameras seem to have malfunctioned at the critical moments? And now: what information is in the Epstein files that turned the Attorney General and the FBI director from people who declared that a nation-changing scandal was afoot into those who released a neutered memo concluding that 'no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted' in the case? What might have turned the president from a man who has encouraged Epstein conspiracy theories and into a person who now seems to have Epstein amnesia? 'Let's not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about,' the president implored on Truth Social. Except that Maga has spent years caring about Jeffrey Epstein very much. Over the weekend, some of Maga's most influential activists and talking heads gathered at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa Bay, Florida. When Fox News host Laura Ingraham took the stage, she asked audience members, 'How many of you are satisfied with the results of the Epstein investigation?' The crowd booed. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson was even more direct: 'The fact that the US government, the one that I voted for, refused to take my question seriously and instead said 'Case closed. Shut up, conspiracy theorist' was too much for me,' he said. 'And I don't think the rest of us should be satisfied with that.' Democrats have an incredible opportunity here to sow more doubts among these burgeoning doubtful. Some are starting: California representative Ro Khanna attached an amendment to Republican-supported cryptocurrency and defence spending legislation that would have required the Department of Justice to release all their files on Epstein; Republicans blocked it, practically handing Democrats a pre-written midterm ad script. Other Democrats should similarly push Republicans to answer for the Epstein secrecy, and use this moment to encourage the growing chorus of questions. Right now, the ire is mostly aimed at Bondi, and Democrats shouldn't overplay their hand by expecting this to be the moment that Maga loyalists suddenly see their emperor stark naked. But liberals should publicly note: Trump is the President of the United States, his team works in his service, and he seems awfully eager for the Epstein files to go away. Why might that be? Are there other instances of inexplicable Trump behaviour that deserve a second look? Maybe accepting a new luxury jet to be used as Air Force One and then a personal plane, not from domestic manufacturers, but from Qatar? These would be good questions for Democrats to raise when, say, they appear on any Fox News show or conservative podcasts. Regular real-world liberals can do the same in personal conversations with Maga relatives or acquaintances. The key isn't to rant about Trump's corruption and how his administration is the swamp; it's to puncture the echo chamber, and seed doubts that conservatives can see repeated in conservative media and among their conservative cohort. Powerful cults rarely see a mass exodus of followers even after a big promised event fails to take place. But America doesn't need Maga to fall apart entirely; we just need enough followers to come to their senses to turn Trump's base from GOP mainstream to laughingstock fringe – or at least enough to allow Democrats to trounce Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections. Trump gained popularity by appealing to the angry, the resentful, and the paranoid. He spoke to them in the language of conspiracy and coverup. His followers are suspicious of nearly all of those in power, except, of course, Trump himself. How satisfying it will be when more of them start to realise that the man who promised to drain the swamp is actually the king of it. [Further reading: The plot against Zohran Mamdani] Related
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump in turmoil as Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyer adds fuel to his fears
Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in the States, has appealed to America's Supreme Court to have her conviction overturned Attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell have fuelled Donald Trump's fears she may speak out, saying he would 'be surprised' if he knew his lawyers were demanding her sentence not be overturned. Last week, the President's Department of Justice controversially announced that no charges would be brought against Jeffrey Epstein 's high-profile associates, including Prince Andrew. The move has sparked an unprecedented backlash against Trump from within his MAGA supporters, who are furious that no one other than Maxwell, once a close friend of the US leader, has faced justice. Some of his outraged supporters have even burned their red 'Make America Great Again'. The president himself has since repeatedly lashed out at being asked why no charges have been brought. Convicted sex trafficker Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in the States, has appealed to America's Supreme Court to have her conviction overturned. Her lawyers argue that a 2007 non-prosecution agreement in Florida between Epstein and the US government protected her. But a federal appeals court already ruled against the 63-year-old, and Trump's Department of Justice is now calling on the Supreme Court to do the same. The move has led Maxwell's lawyer, David Markus, to question whether the President knows his attorneys are arguing to keep her locked up. Last week, the Mirror revealed how the president has been left panicked that Maxwell may break her silence and reveal details of his past ties to Epstein. Many Americans believe the Epstein files that Trump had promised to release in full were suddenly shut down after Elon Musk named the US leader as being identified within them. Now, Markus has added more fuel to the fire by saying he believes Trump would not stop Maxwell's conviction from being quashed due to the non-prosecution agreement. He said: 'I would be surprised if President Trump knew his lawyers were asking the Supreme Court to let the government break a deal. He's the ultimate dealmaker, and I'm sure he'd agree that when the United States gives its word, it should keep it." The lawyer added: 'With all the talk about who's being prosecuted and who isn't, it's especially unfair that Ghislaine Maxwell remains in prison based on a promise the US government made and broke.' The president's concern is that Maxwell may now decide to speak about his friendship with Epstein in an effort to restore her reputation or retaliate against those she believes left her to take the fall. While Trump has denied any wrongdoing and insists he severed ties with Epstein years before the financier's 2019 arrest, the pair frequently socialised in the early 2000s, including at Mar-a-Lago. Maxwell attended events at several of Trump's properties during the same period. The Mirror previously reported how the caged British socialite was considering asking her old pal, the president, for a pardon, as he is in the White House. Trump was a long-time associate of Epstein and Maxwell and was famously videotaped at a party discussing the appearance of young girls who were present during a conversation with the late paedophile. During his first term in the White House, he was concerned by a US newspaper story in July 2020 about her arrest. It quoted a friend of Epstein as describing Maxwell as believing herself to be "protected by the intelligence communities she and [Epstein] helped with information ... by Prince Andrew, President Clinton and even by President Trump," whom they described as having been "well-known to be an acquaintance of her and Epstein's". According to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman's book about Trump, Confidence Man, the US leader tackled his advisers about the story at an Oval Office meeting. "You see that article in the Post today that mentioned me?" he asked aides. When they didn't react, Trump pressed them further, asking: "She say anything about me?" Maxwell, the Oxford-educated daughter of crooked tycoon Robert Maxwell, was once a fixture in the same Palm Beach and New York elite circles as Trump. The president has acknowledged knowing her for years, and the pair were frequently seen together at high-society events in the 1990s and 2000s. When Maxwell was first arrested, Trump's response raised eyebrows. "I just wish her well," he said during a White House briefing. "I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they [Maxwell and Epstein] lived in Palm Beach," he added. "But I wish her well, whatever it is." The remarks had many questioning just how deep their connection ran. The FBI's decision to end its Epstein probe came as Attorney General Pam Bondi, appointed by the president, faces growing scrutiny over contradictory statements she has made about the case. In February, she confirmed the existence of a non-public list of Epstein's alleged clients, saying there were "tens of thousands of videos and documents" still held by the FBI, some of which allegedly showed "horrific crimes involving minors." However, last week, Trump's US Department of Justice stated that it had concluded its review and had "no further information" to share with the public. The abrupt reversal prompted questions for the White House. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Bondi, saying: "She was referring to the entirety of all of the paperwork, all of the paper, in relation to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes… and I'll let her speak to that." The contradiction intensified criticism that the Trump administration has failed Epstein's victims, many of whom have accused the justice system of protecting the powerful while offering only one conviction.
The Herald Scotland
12 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
No more Epstein talk? Donald doth protest too much
Undoubtedly, the president wants us to tone down the references to Jeffrey Epstein and focus on other matters. And that's exactly what I plan to do, because Jeffrey Epstein references at this point seem like intentional jabs at the president's hope to change the subject away from Jeffrey Epstein. MAGA has long been obsessed with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in a jail cell while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. His name was Jeffrey Epstein. (Did I say that already?) Plenty of people in Trump's orbit and in his current Cabinet spent years speculating that Jeffrey Epstein had a client list that would reveal a vast cabal of powerful pedophile elites who flew on Jeffrey Epstein's plane and had sex with underage girls provided by Jeffrey Epstein. Imagine their surprise when Trump's Department of Justice declared there was no client list and summed up Jeffrey Epstein's death - long suspected by folks in the MAGA-verse as a murder to keep him quiet - like this: "FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019." Shocking. Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theorists had their whole raison d'etre wiped out, leaving them wondering if the president himself is part of the Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy. I, personally, believe no such thing and think everyone should honor Trump's request to stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein. No Jeffrey Epstein talk, folks. Opinion: I saw the new liberal 'Superman' movie and it gave me the woke mind virus Explaining his eagerness to see Jeffrey Epstein's name out of the media, Trump wrote: "We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein." Perhaps we'd hear less about Jeffrey Epstein if President Trump stopped bringing up Jeffrey Epstein. Some might argue Trump doth protest too much about Jeffrey Epstein. But I think the president's aversion to Jeffrey Epstein is in the best interest of the country. There is, after all, no "team" in Jeffrey Epstein. Opinion: MAGA is coming for Trump over lost Epstein files. Bondi may pay the price. Excellent presidencies like Trump's require a minimal number of scandals, so let's dispatch with the Jeffrey Epstein blah-blah In fact, I'm prepared to never again mention Jeffrey Epstein unless I absolutely have to. Jeffrey Epstein. (Oops.) News organizations focused on the Jeffrey Epstein-induced MAGA schism caused by the DOJ effectively ending the Jeffrey Epstein investigation should immediately abide by the president's wishes and drop all Jeffrey Epstein coverage. Frankly, the repeated commentary on Jeffrey Epstein is making this whole Jeffrey Epstein thing seem much more important than the great things happening in America, none of which involve Jeffrey Epstein. I hope others will do as I'm doing and wipe Jeffrey Epstein from their memories. Let Jeffrey Epstein go. Ending this Jeffrey Epstein obsession will make President Trump feel better, and that definitely has nothing to do with his past involvement with Jeffrey Epstein or photos with Jeffrey Epstein or the possibility that releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files might cause him widespread embarrassment. So shut up about Jeffrey Epstein, people. Jeffrey Epstein is yesterday's news. (And definitely don't look at the sentence that the first letter of each paragraph above spells out. That would be conspiratorial.) Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @ and on Facebook at
